BIMS

Here are some things that are happening in the BIMS program this summer.

1.  BIMS 1300.  Introduction to Scientific Research is the first BIMS course taken by freshmen.  It is an introduction to thinking about science in a different way – science as a process to engage in, not a bunch of facts to memorize.  Dr. Tom Benoit is busy this summer adjusting its approach based on last year’s initial version to make it even more successful.  The seminar portion will be completely re-done to expose students to what’s new in biomedical sciences around the world.

2. BIOL 1301.  Unicellular Organisms is Dr. Benoit’s other course this fall.  The course is so unique that finding an appropriate textbook is difficult.  Expect the course to adjust its approach slightly to focus more on how cells work in order to emphasize what’s common to unicellular organisms, rather than on differences between various species.

3.  BIOL 3410.  Dr. Wilson is completely re-doing Microbiology this summer.  The lecture will be aligned more closely with the textbook to help students study for exams, and the lab will feature 4-5 research projects within which all skills and knowledge for the lab portion of the course will be taught.  Two projects will be a survey of fresh foods for the presence of coliforms and a survey of McMurry students for the presence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

4.  BIOL 3460.  Genetics will jump into high gear this year as Dr. Heidi DiFrancesca begins to orient students to the use of molecular biology technology at our disposal.  Expect use of the DNA sequencer and rt-PCR in the lab.

5. BIMS 4320 and BIMS 4250.  Junior and senior level BIMS courses will benefit from new equipment to support student research projects, and from a year of maturity in the program.  Dr. D had students get the lab going last year and took baby steps in bringing it up to full capacity.  This year we’ll hit the ground running. 

6.  BIMS 4201.  The capstone course has been restructured to allow students to sign up with a BIMS faculty member to work on a project in their area of expertise.  We can expect a wider variety of research projects this year as students join the research in their areas of interest.  Cancer research, genetic engineering, bacterial spore physiology, and public health should all be represented by the end of the year.

The BIMS faculty will hold a retreat this summer to focus and connect our efforts.  More updates will be coming on other aspects of BIMS improvements made this summer.

Today we saw completion of our second Summer Orientation And Registration (SOAR) session.  During these two-day events, incoming McMurry students learn all about college life at McMurry and get their schedules set for the fall semester.

So where do we stand, now that we are half way through the registration process (there is another SOAR and a good number of students always register at the beginning of school)?  We have 27 students in the first BIMS course – BIMS 1300 Introduction to Scientific Research.  This course introduces students to looking at science and studying life science in a new and engaging way.  If we keep on the current track, we should see at least a 50% increase in BIMS majors this year, proof that our approach is gaining momentum and students are “buying in” to our new way of teaching. 

How are the other freshman-year Biology courses doing?  There are 18 signed up for the BIOL 1301 Unicellular Organisms class, which is offered both fall and spring.  BIMS majors must take this with the BIMS 1101 Unicellular Lab, which is only offered in the spring, so it is a good bet that many of these are Biology majors instead of BIMS majors.  Botany (the first course for BS in Biology majors) has 24 enrolled, while the Human Anatomy & Physiology I course sits at 60 right now.  This course is needed for Nursing, Exercise Science, and Life Sciences majors.  These are exciting times for our BIMS/Biology faculty!

What does this tell us?  At this point, it appears 1 in every 4-5 freshman students enrolling at McMurry this fall has an interest in a Biology Department program.  With so many of the predicted “hot jobs” of the future centered in healthcare, biotech/forensics, the environment, and medical research, it is not surprising that so many of our students gravitate toward them.  BIMS was a program whose time had come, and our offering this exciting program says we’re preparing students for prosperous and successful futures!

The first of three Summer Orientation And Registration (SOAR) sessions is coming up this week.  Over 120 incoming freshmen will come to campus Thursday for two days of introduction to McMurry’s freshman culture, meeting with faculty associated with their chosen majors, and signing up for courses.  About 10% of those students will be Biology Department majors.  For them, the decisions on course selection will be among three typical freshman sequences:  Anatomy & Physiology I for Nursing and Life Science majors; Botany (and possibly Unicellular Organisms) for Biology majors, and Introduction to Scientific Research (and possibly Unicellular Organisms) for BIMS majors.

Those with an interest in a pre-professional field (medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, pharmacy, etc.) will sign up for a new pre-health professions seminar to introduce them to the expectations of professional schools and give them practical experience in doing those things that make a student competitive for the admissions process.  Our incoming BIMS students will take Introduction to Scientific Research (ISR) to hone their critical thinking skills as they learn to look at the world, ask important questions, and design experiments to find answers.  It is a new world for those whose high school science courses were pretty much “same old, same old” approaches to science.  As I’ve explained in earlier posts, BIMS is a refreshingly new approach to teaching science that whets the appetite and engages the mind to learn how life works in new and lasting ways.

More on SOAR in the weeks to come.